Echoes of Yesterday

Part 19 - Together in the Unknown

Theo couldn't stop crying for Tristan. His sobs echoed through the quiet night as Eric knelt beside him, trying his best to calm him. Meanwhile, Maya didn't leave my hand, not for a moment, holding on as though she feared I might vanish too. 

The moon above us seemed eerie, casting its pale light over the landscape. Its glow felt cold, as if it knew the weight of Tristan's death. It hung like a silent witness to everything, the same moon he once looked up at, never knowing his end would come like this.

Suddenly, Maya's phone died, the screen flickering off and leaving us in near darkness. We were without signal already, and now, without light. The torch was gone. I gasped at the thought of being completely cut off. Our shoes were caked in dirt and mud, thick and wet from the cave's passage, but it felt like more than that—like the weight of everything pressing down on us.

"Sarah... why would she kill him?" Eric's voice cut through the stillness, his tone filled with confusion that matched the puzzle pieces in our minds.

Theo paused his crying, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Do you think she did it?" he asked, still shaken.

"No," Eric replied, but there was hesitation. "But it does feel like a puzzle... Daisy found her bracelet. There was that note, and now she's left her house too. Feels like she's running."

Maya, her voice uncertain but sharp, added, "If Sarah did this... we can get out of here too. She's not brave. I've seen her pictures—she looks fragile, like someone who would break at the smallest touch."

Eric gave her a hard look. "Weak people sometimes turn strong when they've been pushed too far. Maybe that's what happened here."

Maya continued, her brow furrowed, "But why did Tristan still have the ring you gave him, Daisy? Even after he was with Sarah"

Did I... did I make them break up?"

I made them leave each other," I muttered, the guilt heavy in my chest. The thought gnawed at me, that maybe I had been the reason everything fell apart.

Eric walked towards me, leaving Theo for a moment. He stood in front of me, his eyes serious but filled with warmth. "Daisy, don't think like that. It's Tristan. You didn't come between him and Sarah. We don't know what really happened." He paused, his voice lowering. "But whatever it was, you're not to blame."

I shook my head, anger bubbling up inside me. "Stop, Eric. I made him leave. I pushed him away. Poor Tristan... he went through so much. He used to take sleeping pills just to get through the night. I broke him." My voice wavered, filled with the pain of old memories.

Maya sighed, her tone softer but still honest. "That's one side of it. But Daisy, you were hurt too. Should I tell Eric and Theo about your pain? About what you went through when you were together?"

I clenched my teeth, my heart aching from the reminder of how much I had been struggling.